Great stuff hero 3 should be just what I'm looking for !

So , regarding the anti jello mount , anyone got any opinions about which to get or if the standard mount on the Phantom will suffice ??

I'd get anti vibration pads yes, its really frustrating to have taken some great video only to have it ruined by the jello, you can attempt to remove it using video editing and also youtube can stabilise but the results aren't very satisfactory.
The results from the phantom will be good without but as for is it worth it - thats a yes.

Thanks James , so should I get the carbon one I've seen or the Perspex one ?

Also , is it worth upgrading the propellers & if so what's the benefit ? And what difference does propeller balancing make ?? Sorry for all the questions but I'm a real newb to all flying things !!

I don't know which ones you've seen?

I've read numerous times people have had the standard props fail and snap mid air on the 450/550, don't know about the phantom, might be less likely as its lighter. If you buy upgraded props you'll notice a huge difference in strength and rigidity. I wouldn't risk my 550 with standard props now it has landing gear, gimbal etc, but its much bigger and heavier.

I've balanced props but not noticed much difference, but I'm not a pro flyer! Can't hurt if you've got the time to do it!

Which vibration pads are good to get?

James, have you seen this french youtube video on the 550?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvolt_rQoTU

there are english subtitles.

I've been playing with mine tonight, trying to get the three position switch setup correctly on my radio, but failing.

Sorted now, I was using channel 5, rather than channel 8 on my receiver.

What forum's are you guys reading on.

I love the idea to build one spec wise from hobby king like the list you posted and the frames seem cheap money.

I want more knowledge on how you upgrade once the bug has hit and indeed more info on the glasses ect.

Id prob go the route of a go pro for the time being and I like the idea of gps and its benefits.

Also why do you need 8 or 9 channels but 4 will suffice for the time being.

Thanks

Col.

I broke it ;-)

Hi Neal.

What happened ? Looks like it was flying well though :)
Been really busy the last few days - so not managed to pursue mine yet.

Andy

I got a bit confused and it accelerated towards me and the ground. These things don't have brakes like an RC car!

GPS addon, more spare arms and props ordered last night ;-)

I need to mess with the gains. I was also flying on 100% dual rate with guestimates on the gains.

First flight:

Hi Col,

I found it difficult to find the right information needed to build mine from Hobbyking parts, which is one of the reasons why i went the DJI Naza route. there is lots of info out there on quads, but so much to trawl though, it was difficult to get to the information quickly. The other Col may be able to give you some pointers, as he went down that route and ordered from hobbyking?

I used google and looked at a lot of youtube videos. really useful for seeing what works.

4 channels will give you the basic 4 controls. it won't allow you to use a selector switch to select different modes, remotely adjust gains, or control the camera gymbal however, but you can fly if that's what you have.

Thanks for the reply.. I had me a good ganders at the dji stuff and watched a few builds on youtube and read as many reviews so now have a slightly better understanding on whats needed.

Pros and cons to the gps and the serious flyers think theyre a wash out and want to actually fly there crafts.i on the other hand would rather play it safe and I can always sell it later on when my balls have grown ha ha. I say this as I dabbled with a collective pitch 3d heli with not much success. It wouldnt hover easily and I ended up damaging my carbon fibre blades and they werent cheap every time I decided to grow a pair and set it up.

What im not sure on is regarding the radio but seen from recommendations about the turning 9x and also rrgarding what controller and flashing and hacking ect.

I think goggles and a gimbal would come at a later date snd somethink like a mount and a go pro would be perfect for me for the time being.

Im also gempted just to get something small for the time being like that bug thing mentioned in post 1 jusy to have a dabble on. Does anyone know if there the right way to go or should I look at something else.

Lastly is it a big leap in cost from a 450 to a 550 and what are the advantages and disadvantaged. Not much difference in price for the frame but then again ite everything else ha ha.

Thanks

Col.

Im

Col.

The 'Bug' thing's are ace. I got mine from BangGood as per Neals recommendations. Flew it in the park on a nice still day and it was amazing. So good i've bought another. I think i'm going to make sure i'm confident with it before flying anything bigger. It's a great way to learn hoy to fly. The speed of the thing is amazing. I got confident and crashed it many times with no breakages. I'm sure a big Quad would have died from my flying style!

I'm going the DJI route and Naza as it looks like the business. Also I think i'll go GPS too as I like the 'fly home' concept. The DJI Phantom looks cool, and I may be getting my hands on one through another route to learn with.

Get a little toy one - get down the park over summer and learn to fly, that's what i'm doing.

Mine is in the UK.

I know this due to the mahooooosive customs bill...

I use this forum: http://www.rcgroups.com/aircraft-ele...ltirotors-790/

For stuff like the above use "scratchbuilt", for the 929,939, 949, 959 stuff use mini multirotors.

I have all the ones above (and others) so can help if you're after recommendations for a micro

Thanks col.

Im going to order a micro for the time being as its cheap money and its been a while since I attempted to fly anything ( apart from a 501x doing 8 foot in the air lol).

So far bang good seem cheap for a wl toys variant. Im actually liking the idea of the model with the built in web cam. Check the vids out on you tube its better than what you think for £40 all in delivered or so.

However I also saw the wl toys helicopter and was like should I buy one if them as well lol.

I have a 3d dragonfly that had radio probs around 5 years Go. It was a cheap at the time £130 ish model but was plagued by cheap electrics. Servo glitching. Cheap receiver and radio. I could probably now buy a decent turnigy 9x and receiver and have this for the heli,
Power a micro heli with itsown receiver and also use this for when I get around to buying a 450 or 550 .

Is there anywhere in the uk to get cheap micros though .

Thanks for the help so far guys.

Col.

Yeah, I have a couple of 911's, a 912 and a 913 as well...

911 is great indoors, 912 great outdoors (in mild wind) and the 913 was a rash purchase and I haven't flown it. By all accounts it's not as good as the 912 anyway.

A 9x will bind to all the previously mentioned WLToys range (but not 3d capable 922 heli or any of the 2xx range quads) with the right module (the FrSky I believe)
Of all the bunch, the 939 is the best. New gen 949's are actually 929's with different canopy's and the 959 is an old gen 949 with firmware added for the camera. All fly well outside and are quite capable in mild wind, but turbulence is massive and off putting.
For the price, any of the range is superb. The only thing that comes close in value for money terms is the Husban X4 - it's a better machine but substantially more expensive (I have one of these as well...)

Latest toy has landed...

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psc037f967.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psc6333fca.jpg

Build well underway

Ha ha great stuff and thanks for the advice. My mrs would be too suspicious on a box full of shiny parts id have to hide it in the car and build it lol.

Im thinking a 911 heli and either a husban x4 as they sell them locally at jespares ot the wl toys quad with camera then. I just didnt fancy getting stung on the customs.

Post some pics up of the build and make me dig the credit csrd out ha ha.

Col.

Looks great Col, looking forward to seeing it at York.

Hope the duty bill wasn't too much.
The backlight kit for the 9X is worthwhile getting. I put one on mine. available from the UK store too (no duty or long wait).


Mine is doing odd things. It's like its loosing radio contact and flying off to one side, before crashing. Trying to test by process of elimination.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps95c7eddd.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psfaee49e1.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps07b7645a.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps2854edc8.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...pse7c353d9.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps5a9ec565.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps6855974b.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps386e0c42.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psa5e10ecc.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps1ac57c0d.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psf31df0be.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psff080354.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psb3f433e5.jpg


All done, calibrated and (hopefully) secured properly.
Far too windy for a test flight at the moment, and our lass is sleeping beauty upstairs (she's on nights) so can't even spin it up much downstairs

All bits (inc 9x and FrSKY) were $346 delivered, and the customs was EUR 70.48.
So I've absolutely no idea how much any of it was TBH...

Col - I am very Jealous :)

I am frustrated! A new toy that I can't play with!:mad:

Me 2. How am I supposed to be happy with a 959 and maybe a 911chopper .

Pah!

Both great machines buddy! You'll not be disappointed!
Can't deny that I'm a little excited to give the new toy a blast though...

Looks like I'll have to wait a little longer...

Whilst trying to calibrate the self level system, I fried a motor - que bad "MTronics" style smell, and a daughter laughing.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...psc3709fee.jpg

Neal - change of plans. I've got to work sat night so won't be racing but if you want to swing by my house and pick up my 9x you're more than welcome. PM me

Not surprising if you wired it up :p

True... But it had flown (briefly) so I'm not taking responsibility for this one

How did this happen?

Is it a bad motor?

Gutted for you hope you get a replacement asap.

Bummer about your motor. does the hobbyking UK warehouse have any stock?

Thanks, got some more things to try today now the wind has gone. I'll arrange to meet you after work sometime if that's ok?

Col - think so. The coils inside turned from nice shiney copper to burnt black. It had done 1 flight (at 3:00am in tesco carpark) without problems. It popped exactly like an ESC does - just started fizzing and smoking. The motor wasn't even running! The KK2 was in safe mode, so no controls from the tx were going to the motors.

Neal - UK warehouse are out of stock and not taking backorders for it. I've ordered 4 more as they're only £6 each + delivery and I needed a few other bits and bobs as well (bits to flash my esc's and update software on the kk2), but the wait is a killer!
I work permanent nights, so am only available (at home) between 14:00 and 21:00 during the week.

The wait... is killing me...
On the upside, I have upgraded my kk2 to from 1.2 to 1.5 firmware (which apparently has vastly superior self-leveling, and tomorrow I'll do the esc's.

Yeah I bet Col!

I've been flying a bit. Got it tuned better now and it's staying in the air, which is a bonus! Changed props and used some better gain settings.

Took this video the other night after GT12 racing at Sherburn YMRC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrQhDS0BsCM

I just stuck my 808 #16 v2 D camera on it with velcro.

Had memory card issues yesterday at Batley, so didn't get any video. It worked really well in the high winds though.

Still occasionally getting a lock, in always in full tilt in any direction. Seems to occur at random, I can't make it do it to order. Most of the time it results in a crash, but i have sometimes recovered it, given enough space. I thought may be it was running a pack for too long, but now I think its a "feature" of the naza in atti mode.

Example at the end of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rff9wQe_2k


I just need more air time with it now. hopefully this constant wind we've been having will go soon, and I can get to fly it not fighting the wind.

That looks like a set-up/programming error/fault to me. It looks like it reaches a certain level from horizontal and something prevents it from coming back. Is the naza programmable with stick scaling? Or maybe endpoints on the 9x?
What is atti mode?

Yeah, I'm still not confidant in it. Recalibrated radio several times. You are right, it just locks on full beans in that direction. Pulling the stick the opposite way doesn't make it respond, but it does eventually, if it doesn't hit anything.
I've googled, and it seems to be an odd feature of "fast forward flight" in atti (attitude) mode. This uses the 3-axis giro, barometer and 3-axis accelerometer for sensing the attitude and altitude.

The fix seems to be don't fly like that in that mode, and switch to manual which uses only the more basic 3-axis accelerometer.

see page 3 of this: http://download.dji-innovations.com/...al_v2.7_en.pdf

There is a naza software update coming very soon I believe.

I may just reduce the end points and fly in attimode at say 80% for pitch and roll.

Flying tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1jDZA5bqo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85az8XFmbiY


The camera is an 808 #16 v2 D lens keychain camera.
http://www.chucklohr.com/808/C16/

I'm not trusting it with my gopro just yet!

Just watched them via facebook.

What's the solution to the random crashing?

I just had one glitch today, and it recovered. You can't see it in the videos, it was very brief. The obvious crashes in these last two were me. It just appears a bit hard but wasn't.

I'm going to go fly it somewhere where there is no possibility of hitting some passer by and see if I can make it lock. i need to get more practice flying and try more in manual mode.

Looking good Neal.

I like the 'when I said stay away - you need to stay away bit' :)

Kids and Quadrocopters don't mix - like how you quickly spun it down before fingers were lost :0

1:1 aircraft and q-copters wouldn`t mix well either.
I imediately thought of a Quadcopter when i saw this.

OK,who has been flying one of these quadrocopters Oop north then?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...-west-22365368

very naughty if it was a q-copter/piloted,i can see laws being passed/enforced against general use if it was and deliberate,which would be a great shame.

I wouldn`t recommend flying anything other than a kite in a public park TBH bit too risky IMHO.

Glad you have decided to find a better space Neal,keep at it :thumbsup:

Interesting read!
I don't think it was a quad - at 4000ft the control boards don't work properly due to barometric pressure (or something) and the low temp drastically reduces output from the cells.
There are a few vids on youtube of quads at 1000ft, but so few it makes it seem like a big deal (if that makes sense)

York Knavesmire is a designated flying site if that helps... It's where I'll be taking mine if it ever gets airborne again.